February 2008 MMA News Archive

Do you have a hot MMA story or news item that you have found and would like to share?
Then read our guidelines then post it to our MMA News Share Forum to have it display here for the community to read on this page.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is one of the fastest-growing sports entertainment businesses in the world. If you don’t know what the UFC is, then it’s time for you to move out from under that wrestling ring and take up residence under the octagon. The UFC started as an open-class competition free-for-all with no rules, in which competitors beat one another to a pulp, and the sport has evolved into the mega fighting industry it is today.
Here are 10 UFC fighters who have helped the sport grow into what is today. Some fighters have helped more than others, but all have made some contribution to the business. These 10 UFC fighters are the best fighters to enter the Ultimate Fighting Championship ring.

The UFC comes back to Columbus, Ohio for the second time in two years, and if the main event at UFC 68 with Randy Couture upsetting Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title is any indication of what could happen this year, then we should be in for a treat.

Zuffa-owned World Extreme Cagefighting has signed former NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz to its roster, the Vallejo Times-Herald is reporting.
According to the paper, Munoz signed a guaranteed six fight contract. Financial terms were not disclosed but the paper quotes the light heavyweight as saying the deal is a “high six-figure” contract.
The report specifies that he is scheduled to make his WEC debut on June 1 in Sacramento, Calif. at the Arco Arena. The show will be televised on VERSUS and is expected to feature a WEC featherweight title match between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver.

Zuffa won the first battle in its ongoing war with Randy Couture yesterday, as Judge Jennifer Togliatti granted the company a preliminary injunction barring Randy Couture's participation in the International Fight League's event Friday in Las Vegas.
"Randy Couture is enjoined from engaging in any promotion or production of events or programming related to unarmed combat during the February 29, 2008 event," according to the minutes of the hearing.

Today at 4pm eastern, 1pm pacific, watch
UFC 69 Official Program
the fighters competing in UFC 82 PRIDE OF A CHAMPION weigh in, live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Click any of the logos below to watch the event on your computer
***Click The Top Video

Saturday’s UFC 82 event marks former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski’s first fight in nearly 11 months. The big question is whether it’ll be his last one in the organization.
With just one bout remaining on his current UFC contract, Arlovski becomes a free agent after tomorrow’s fight with Jake O’Brien.
And while there’s been a lot of speculation about a potential rift between the UFC and Arlovski’s management team, neither side has confirmed it lately.
In fact, during Wednesday’s pre-UFC 82 press conference, UFC president Dana White was asked about Arlovski and his whether he’ll re-sign with the organization. Did the UFC’s head honcho want to tag the heavyweight fighter with a parting shot?
Not so much.
“Andrei is a guy we want (in the UFC),” White said. “I think we’ll get it done.“
Arlovski is sure to have plenty of suitors, but it appears the UFC isn’t willing to let him go so easily.

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) was "the guy" in the UFC. In a period of perceived Pride preeminence, he was seen as Zuffa's star heavyweight.
After Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) had vanquished Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) and Mirko "Cro Cop," some even thought Arlovski was the guy would could topple "The Last Emperor."

It would be a fight no stadium could hold, no pay-per-view system could handle. Anderson Silva, the UFC middleweight champion and the man many believe is the best fighter on the planet, pound for pound, would finally be squaring off against the only person he has ever professed an interest in fighting…
His clone.

War. It’s what Dan Henderson expects every time the bell rings. Whether he’s fighting you, me, or Anderson Silva, the PRIDE 183-pound champion doesn’t look at opponents as tougher or easier – they’re all the same to him. They’re all out for the same thing he is, so the only way he can ensure that he gets to the finish line first is by working harder, drilling more times, and preparing for the worst.

Dan Henderson is one of the most seasoned fighters in mixed martial arts. The two-time Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling team member has been wrestling since the age of five and has fought in the most prominent mixed martial arts promotions in the world, obtaining both the Pride middleweight and welterweight championships.
At UFC 82: Pride of a Champion, Henderson will get the opportunity to add another belt to his collection when he takes on reigning UFC middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva.
Here is a breakdown of what Henderson brings to the Octagon against Silva...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
what do you guys think of their right up on Dan Henderson?
The only thing i would like to add to the discussion would be that the two guys who were able to submit henderson gave Silva his blackbelt...just something to add under the submission aspect of this fight.

“Nobody expects me to win,” said Wilson in a tone mixing disbelief and laughter. “I don’t get it; I know how to fight, I come from Team Quest, it’s a great camp, I have an Olympic Silver medalist to train with every single day in Matt Lindland, I train with Ed Herman and Ryan Schultz and these guys go out and put beatdowns on people all the time.
He does have one of the best camps behind him. My money is still on Fitch though.

White also said that Brock Lesnar, whose debut on Feb. 2 led the company to one of its most successful pay-per-view events in its history, losing to Frank Mir, will have his second UFC fight in August. No opponent has been named but the leading candidate appears to be Justin McCulley.
He also said the most anticipated WEC match thus far, a featherweight title defense by Urijah Faber against Jens Pulver, will take place this summer from Sacramento as a live special on Versus.

think it's probably a good thing to keep Lesnar out longer. It looks like UFC in June will be on Spike, so they don't really need another draw, and the more time off to train before his next fight the better. There are all sorts of rumors about who he's going to be training with, including BJ Penn, but it's unclear what is true at this point
The Pulver/Faber news is good too, that PPV was going to bomb, but they can probably break a million viewers with this one if hyped well. Lots of exciting news lately!

COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Thursday afternoon, UFC president Dana White along with Tony Ponture, vice president, global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch, announced a new three-year deal between the fight promotion and Bud Light, making it the major sponsor for the organization going forward.
White expressed his excitement about the new deal with Bud Light.
“Not only did we get and land a blue chip sponsor, we landed the biggest. The biggest sponsor in sports, period,” he stated. “Not only are these guys the biggest and the best at what they do in their industry, but they’re the biggest and the best marketers in the world. We’re not talking the United States. We’re talking the world. When I say these guys are No. 1, No. 2 is far behind them.”

Henderson wins the wrestling. Anderson wins the striking.
Henderson wins the guard pass. Silva wins the guard.
Motion of feet is won by Silva. Harder head is won by Henderson.
Silva wins cardio if the past is correct. Henderson is a bigger bully.
I still got Henderson.
Who you got?

Strikeforce lightweight title-holder Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez was supposed to fight Jorge Masvidal at the Strikeforce/EliteXC March 29th event - but the fight has been cancelled due to a shin injury Masvidal received during “Strikeforce at the Dome” in Washington. The injury came in a fight against Ryan Healy, which Masvidal won by decision. A replacement could be named soon to battle Melendez since he is one of the top fighters on the card. Middleweight champ Frank Shamrock will put his title on the line against Cung Le in the highly-anticipated main event.

Eddie Alvarez confirmed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com (www.FiveOuncesOfPain.com) on Thursday afternoon that he has signed a contract to participate in DREAM’s lightweight Grand Prix.

"The fight is 100 percent,” began Alvarez. “I just got a call from my manager, Monte Cox, everything is underway. Everything is approved and I will be heading over there (Japan) on the 10th to fight in the lightweight Grand Prix. I’m excited.”
"Monte (Cox) talked it over with EliteXC and EliteXC was happy to work with DREAM,” Alvarez responded when asked if special permission was needed to compete in a tournament that could require Alvarez to fight on three separate DREAM shows. “I’m sure they want to do business with them in the future so I’m sure they are more than happy to lend me over and let me do the fight.”